Home
by champsissy
Summary: Years after the equalists have passed, Amon has been defeated, Korra and Bolin are making it out on their own. Borra. M for possible later chapters
1. Life

** Chapter One **

"I'm home!"

The same words repeated every day as he walked into the house, taking off his protective helmet and setting it on the table. For once, he was shocked to not find her in the kitchen playing with Anji, both girls' laughter ringing up through the rafters of the apartment. Bolin frowned and put his hands on his hips, utterly confused. Not a peep. Not a word. He went to put the rest of his equipment down when suddenly, his shoulder was being weighed down by a little fire ferret in a metalbending helmet exactly like his own.

"Silly," He said, scratching the animal's back before moving to the kitchen and grabbing himself something to eat. "Kor? You home?" He shouted out as the ferret climbed down from his shoulder and onto the counter. He pulled out his secret stash of fire cookies and took a bite, savoring it's tasty tang. "Korra?" He mumbled after swallowing, feeling the heat linger in his throat before disappearing.

Suddenly the sound of little feet came running through the house and he arched a brow as Anji threw herself against his legs. "Daddy!" She cried, laughing. "We hided from you!" She giggled. Bolin grinned, unable to suppress his smile and unable to want to.

"Hey kiddo," He teased, tickling her as he wrapped her in a hug. Her laughter was perfect. He picked up his daughter, _his daughter_, and placed her in the crook of his arm, offering her the remainder of his cookie.

While she chewed on the food, his gaze lifted to the bedroom doorway, where his beautiful wife was, with her bright blue eyes. Her hair was tangled and around her face, her eyes drooping like she hadn't gotten enough sleep. And yet, Bolin still thought she was the prettiest thing in the world, besides _their_ daughter, of course. He set Anji down and she took off running after Pabu II, laughing happily. Bolin, however, was more concerned on his wife.

She smiled weakly as he wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her like she'd been gone for months at a time. He missed her every moment he was without her. After the defeat of Tarrlok and Amon, she had said her goodbyes to the fabulous bending brothers and rushed off to save the rest of the world's political problems, promising to be home as soon as she could. Bolin had waited and waited. He and Mako played their sport with a new waterbender, whose name was nothing important. The team had their winnings. And as congratulations, she'd returned for one night.

He had felt like it had been forever since they'd spoken. He'd been so focused on the sport that his mind wasn't able to comprehend the fact that she had left. But seeing her—her hair down, shockingly, and in a rare piece of clothing Asami called a _dress- _he realized just how badly he had missed her. She'd run up to congratulate him first, instead of his firebender brother. He'd been so surprised that he'd sat their for two minutes before finally picking her up and spinning her until the both of them felt sick.

The four of them had gone to eat and Bolin hadn't been hungry. He'd literally sat beside Korra all night and questioned her about her journey through the Nation. Mako and Asami had made kissy faces the entire time, and Bolin was shocked because she was paying _him_ attention. Him! He didn't want to go crazy because he knew she would leave the following day, but it was still incredibly nice to be talking to her again. The only thing that hurt was he realized how hard he was falling in love with her again.

Mako and Asami left early that night—probably to get lucky, Bolin pondered. He didn't mind. He was happy for them, but he was happier because Korra was here and alone with him. They'd gone to the same places that they had on their first date, while only talking. He felt happy again, happier than he had been. He had been so focused, so dedicated to probending that it had taken away some of his personality. He knew that it was his life, but he selfishly wanted more.

He wanted Korra.

Bolin felt stupid for feeling like that, but he couldn't help himself. He eagerly tried to tell her before she left, how much he still felt for her, but she had said something to him that had cut him dead in his tracks.

"I missed you Bo. You look so different."

Different? Was that bad? Was that wrong? How could he look different? He felt like the same kid he'd been when they'd first met! He was only two years older, two long and agonizing years, for Spirit's sake! How in the world did he look different?

Of course, he'd been silenced by her proposition that she'd taken notice. "In a good way, silly. You look older. You're growing." She'd reached up and touched his face and he smiled weakly. Older. Older was good, right? Sure? He had been so confused by her words that he couldn't speak, his internal fight tearing him apart. Then Korra had given him a big smile and he felt her arms wrap up around her and squeeze.

They had both grown up. Though the next day she left, they promised to keep in touch. Letters came frequently, sometimes accompanied with pictures or stories. Sometimes little trinkets came from out of the blue. Mako was confused about it, but Bolin would laugh and remember an inside joke from their letters. Rarer were phone calls where the two would talk for hours and hours at a time. Then Mako would roll his eyes and get two minutes to talk to her, before Bolin snatched the phone back.

He missed her so much. His heart ached every time he finished a letter because he knew that it would take a week or so for another one. He always wanted to cry when they were saying goodbye over the phone because it would mean losing a part of himself when she hung up. He desperately wanted to see her again, because the pictures were hardly doing anything for him and his lovesick heart.

When they won the championship again, Bolin had expected to see her there. He had expected her to surprise them all again, but he wasn't lucky enough. Asami had been there, and she was pretty, but she was no Korra. Mako had been ecstatic but Bolin felt like his heart was shattered. He didn't go out to the party that night. He didn't feel worthy enough.

The next time she called, he told her how much he wanted her home. She promised she would try but that things in the Islands were troublesome. He wondered if he could visit her, but how would he get there? He could chase her around and around until he finally found her. He could be there with them and hug her whenever she felt sad or homesick. But he couldn't. He couldn't find her because he was too attached to the city, too attached to his brother, and too fearful that he might not find her and lose the last piece of his soul.

Mako had come home on Bo's special day and Bolin had all but given up. It was his birthday, a day he had a terrible distaste for. He hadn't shaved, hadn't even gotten out of bed because he was so disappointed in himself. He was a mess without her. "Bo, I got you a present." Mako had said, but he wasn't listening. "Bo. Compose yourself. For once?"

When he hadn't responded, Mako had pushed himself off of the bed and made him get up and work properly. Bolin had showered (sadly) and dressed (sadly), but he didn't shave. Somehow, he thought this is what Korra meant by older looking and frankly, he liked it. The stubble trailed around his chin, up to where his hairline met. He remembered frowning as his stupid hair fell into his eyes.

Mako had dragged him out to meet Asami at Narook's Noodlery. He hated his brother for deciding that dinner should be _here_, of all places. As they walked inside, they noticed how deserted it was, how empty. Nothing usual like Narook's at all. Frowning, Bolin had found his gaze lingering until it fell on the corner table, where she sat with a familiar pout on her face, leaning against her arm.

It had nearly caused him to faint when he saw her, waiting. She looked so normal, so utterly Korra that he almost wanted to cry. He remembered whispering her name before watching her look up, and watching the brilliant smile on her face.

Korra touched his cheek and brought him out of his memories. "How was work?" She questioned, her calloused fingers pushing his stupid bangs out of his face. Bolin smiled weakly but made no reply; police business was hard, and he wished he had had the same respect he had for them when he was younger than now. "That bad, huh?"

"Nothing fun." He muttered, kissing her nose. When his lips moved away, he saw the content smile spreading across her face and his worries about the day disappeared. "I love you, you know that?" He questioned, squeezing her waist gently.

Korra smiled. "I know, silly."


	2. Rain

Chapter Two

It was raining. Bolin didn't enjoy the rain as much as his daughter and wife did. Anji found it interesting to bend, using her abilities to splash him awake on Saturday afternoons when he and his wife napped close together. Korra usually laughed and praised their daughter while Bolin would playfully beg her to bend the water out of his 'precious hair'.

He knew Korra loved it because it was her natural element, even if she never said so. Sometimes he would come home and see the two of them staring out the massive window that looked over Yue Bay, staring as the droplets raced down the glass. They would usually talk softly until his metal gear gave a groan or clank and then their peace would be disturbed. Anji would run up to him while Korra would embrace him with a simple kiss or a hug.

However, the nights it was raining were the nights that Anji mysteriously fell asleep early, leaving the exhausted parents with time to themselves. Korra would eagerly shut the door before she ran over to him and threw her arms around his throat, kissing his neck and jaw and lips like there was nothing better. He enjoys her touches, he loves her passion, he just doesn't know what he did to deserve her beauty and excellence and Korra-ness.

Tonight was no different. He and Korra both put their child into her big girl room and watched as the little waterbender fell asleep. Bolin had told her the story of the moon spirit, a story he very vaguely remembered from his mother. He had altered it to say that Tui didn't die, it just turned into the moon. As soon as the little girl had fallen asleep to the sound of rain pattering against the window, he felt Korra pulling him back, close to her body. He grinned without thinking, letting her take control of his body and lead him out of the room. Her lips planted themselves on the back of his neck, causing pleasurable shivers to scurry up his spine and land where her lips were massaging his skin.

He shut the door and turned to her, placing his head against hers, touching her cold nose to his. Bolin's fingers tangled into the blue cloth she wore around her body to hide from him. Korra pressed her lips to his as her hands rose to his scraggly beard. He couldn't explain how amazing it felt, but he felt himself being whisked into the past as their kiss deepened.

He hadn't been but nineteen when she returned for his birthday. It had been early in the night after they finished eating at Narook's, and he still didn't want the night to end. Mako and Asami had eaten then left to continue their date elsewhere; he was so thankful his brother had a girlfriend right now. Korra had told him all about Ba Sing Sae and the giant walls that were used for tourism now. She explained Omashu and the Swamp. Her eyes, cyan like the water in Yue Bay, lit up as she explained the animals she had seen, the new and old people she had met. She had had the time of her life, and he'd sat at home training for a sport he hardly wanted to play anymore.

"Maybe when I'm finished exploring the world, I can get an place here in Republic City?" She questioned and Bolin couldn't help the smile and happiness he had felt. He couldn't put it into words; he was afraid to.

But words came. "Are you kidding, Korra? That would be overly fantastic! You and I could come down here and eat every noodle Narook has!" He had made massive hand gestures, childish, but she had still laughed. He loved her laugh more than the world itself. "You could be my best friend again."

"Am I not?" She questioned. Bolin had paled at the word choices he'd used but she had laughed again and it had soothed his churning stomach. "I would love that, Bo."

She called him _Bo._

He knew that the nickname was childish, but that's all he felt around her. Childish. Happy. Complete. He'd paid for their dinner before walking out and finding the streets of downtown being littered with rain. This wasn't how he had expected the evening to go; truthfully, he imagined it somber and terrible, but it was anything but. Still, the rain had to put a damp effect on them.

Korra had laughed, throwing her head back. The smile returned to him as quickly as she had, before she dragged him into the downpour. Bolin had found himself joining into her laugh no matter how much he was getting soaked. They ran down the soaked streets, Korra's hand in his and leading him away from the restaurant. They ran until Bolin thought he was about to pass out from laughing and lack of air, but then she pulled him to a stop. He wasted no time finding out where they were; the fountain, the falling leaves that echoed with the wind, the pattering of droplets on the pond surface.

Bolin only wanted one thing, and that was for Korra to stay with him. He didn't care how wet he got or how cold, he just wanted her with him, safe. They stood in the rain trying to catch their breath as the water poured over them. His hair fell in his eyes, making it hard to see her perfection. He didn't _care _about the scar that Tarrlok had given her on her cheek; in fact, he thought it was beautiful. He thought she was beautiful, gorgeous, everything he'd ever wanted.

Korra's fingers had reached up and moved his black hair out of his face before letting her hand trail along the stubble on his jaw line. A flicker of a smile appeared. "Why do we have to grow up, Bo?" She questioned, glancing up at him. Her cyan eyes caused him to catch his breath so hard, pain and hurt and longing echoing into his soul.

The next second, her soft, wet lips were on his. This was _nothing_ he had imagined the night to be like, but it was everything he could have dreamed about. Her hands had locked behind his neck and pulled him closer to her and he realized how short she had gotten. He had to be an inch or so taller. Then his brain and lips finally clicked and he recognized that he was being _kissed _by the girl of his dreams, in the pouring rain, in the perfect spot. He didn't fight her advances because he was afraid he might do something wrong, mess something up, hurt her in some way or do something wrong. He felt inexperienced all again because this was the perfect woman in his messed up life to let her lips touch his.

Oh Spirits, they were kissing!

When they had finally broken apart, the rain had stopped. Korra gave him a warm smile before kissing him once more, saying her goodbyes, and rushing home. After all, she had to leave the next morning. As soon as she was out of sight, Bolin's knees began to shake, but he was jumping up and down like he'd just won the probending championship again and again and again. He was on an adrenaline high. He was ecstatic.

Korra's lips connected with his in the same way as before, bringing him out of his memory. Her bare shoulders and silky smooth legs were wrapped around his waist. Her head rested on his chest as he buried his face into her shoulder, taking in her beautiful jasmine scent. Bolin tightened his grip around her naked waist, still afraid that he might hurt her. Her soft snores finally came, accompanied by the pitter-patter of the rain outside. He couldn't help but be content with the girl that still held his dreams beside him.


	3. Hold

Chapter Three

He knew his brother still played the game even after he, much to Mako's dismay, quit to become a metalbending cop. It meant so much to his brother that he couldn't even look at his brother's face when he had said his wishes. "I just don't want to play anymore, bro. I've got bigger stuff I want to do." Mako hadn't been _angry_, just upset. Bolin wanted to detach himself from his brother, who'd acted like a mother and father _and_ brother to him. He loved him immensely, but that same gut-wrenching feeling enveloped him and Bolin suddenly knew why Korra had wanted to escape from the South Pole.

So he'd moved out of the apartment he and his brother had shared and started anew. With his percent of the earnings (Mako had been overly generous with the money), he bought a place on the edge of Yue Bay and got a job in the police force. He, at first, had thought himself crazy. Metalbending hadn't exactly come easy to him, who'd only used his talent for simple stuff such as probending or helping Korra. Thankfully Lin had offered to train him. Soon, he was rising up through the ranks, and oddly fast. He worked his hardest just to get his mind off of the girl he loved.

A year after he and Korra had first kissed, Mako proposed to Asami, and Bolin was the one to break it to her. He knew she was coming home to visit and see Mako play in the bending tourney, so he met her on Airbender Island and greeted her with one of his massive hugs. He was incredibly reluctant to kiss her and decided it would be better to wait, just to see if what she had done was impulsive or real.

The night before the tournament started, he'd taken her to the tower and broken it to her there. At first, she was shocked; his brother was only twenty two and getting married? But then the exact opposite of what Bolin had been expecting had come across her face; happiness. "I've got to call Asami!" It was only then that he'd realized how much the both of them had matured; she didn't want to kill Mako for going off and falling in love with the woman. He was proud of her, and extremely happy that she didn't still having feelings for his brother.

As they were walking back to the ferry, she'd taken her hand in his. Bolin's heart had stopped before starting again, albeit erratic. He had not known how to act, until she moved to take his arms with both of hers. She was clinging to him like a lost child on the streets. A thought had crossed his mind: Was this the same girl that he'd fallen in love with? Of course it was. Age and traveling had smoothed out her rough edges and she was acting like a composed woman. He felt a smug smile crawling on his cheeks.

They had walked down to the pier where the ferry would take her back to the island. As the boat came slowly across the bay, he'd been cracking jokes and making her laugh, just to hear the sing song laugh she had. That childish attitude would never fade him, he knew. As the tiny tugboat pulled into the dock, Korra had turned and sighed as she saw the very studious and observant Jinora and Ikki waiting for her, arms crossed and brows raised. She had given Bolin a small smile before letting go of his hand that he'd been so desperately clinging to and climbed onto the boat.

Bolin woke from his dreams to find Korra gone. He checked the wall clock and sighed; Nine AM. If she was up before him, it meant something was wrong. Usually that involved the Council and an unhappy, elder Tenzin. Bolin stood and pulled on his clothes sloppily. His body hurt, possibly from the previous night's activities with his beautiful wife. As he opened the door to their bedroom, he was attacked by Pabu II and Anji, throwing her little body against his leg. "Hey kiddo," He laughed, picking her up and squeezing her gently. "What do you want to do today?"

Rising through the ranks as metalbender helped him achieve the Chief rank, wonderfully meaning he could watch after his daughter if Korra was elsewhere. Though he absolutely loved his job, his men knew how to handle themselves. If they really needed him, they could call him in.

"Le's visit Unka Mako!" She cried, kicking to get down from his grasp. Bolin laughed as Pabu II scrambled up her shoulder. "To Unka Mako's house!" She exclaimed, running towards the door. He shook his head at how much the little girl reminded him of Korra. Her hair was cut extra short for the summertime, her clothes accented by the blue Water Tribe color. The only thing Bolin saw in her that reminded him of himself was the button nose she had and his forest green eyes.

She was very capable for a four year old. Her mother had given her that simple independence that she used. She wasn't able to stop moving hardly long enough for him to give her a kiss on the forehead. He smirked as he opened the door and held her hand to help her down the staircase. She apparently was a Daddy's girl, or so Korra said. He felt like his job took too much time out of the day to spend with them. Then again, Korra said the same thing—it was often something she feared—but they made sure to shower the little one with love and praise when she needed it.

Anji was close to her Unka Mako and Bolin had the exact idea why. Mako still probended; although he did it for kicks and giggles, he took it upon himself to train younger teams after Toza had died. Whenever he visited, he made sure to bring Anji a gift from the gift store; a doll, a glass of 'spirit water', chocolate. He was the crazy uncle Bolin had always desired being.

Asami had taken over her father's business after Hiroshi was imprisoned. Though she and Mako had married first, they had never seemed interested in kids. Bolin had begged and pleaded (sometimes playfully, other times not) for a little niece or nephew, just to satisfy his one dream of being a crazy uncle like his brother was. However, Mako always seemed touchy about the subject as of late and so Bolin had dropped it.

Anji raced up to the mansion door and knocked. Bolin followed closely behind her, watching her little fist slam on the door. Slowly, Asami answered it. Her face had looked dreary before she saw them, and she pulled on a practiced smile, he noticed. "Hi guys!" She said, leaning down to hug the little girl. "You're just in time. Mako and I were about to have brunch."

"I could use a bite." Bolin gave her a warm smile, but was thoroughly concerned over the fake smile. Anji had already pushed past her aunt, and Bolin gave his sister-in-law a hug. Not one he would give Korra (his signature teddy bear hug) or Anji (his playful monster hug), but a sincere grasp. "Where's my bro?"

"He's making the food. I can't get him to stop cooking." She laughed, but it didn't sound like her. Now he knew something was up, but he couldn't ask before Asami gestured him inside. He didn't want to question her where his brother was open-ears. He'd have to ask her about it later.

Anji was pestering her uncle about what he was making and Bolin knew she'd been hanging out with Ikki too much. "What kind of flavor is lemon-berry? What is salsa? Why are we having _brunch?_" Mako gave him a playfully annoyed look before he quickly answered the questions his niece presented him. Bolin inhaled the smell of his brother's famous lemon tarts and shook his head. Mako had gotten soft while mothering him, testing out recipes when he had the extra money.

"Where's Korra?" He asked as he set the tarts on the table in front of Anji. The little girl climbed into the seat on her knees and darted out, grasping one of the tarts and shoving it into her mouth. Bolin watched as her face turned from curiosity to delight, then to squeamish. He laughed, as she struggled to swallow before taking the handful of lemon-berry tart from her. "Council meeting?"

"You know here too well." Bolin gave his older brother as smile as he watched him kiss the silent Asami. His concern was growing. He wondered if he would have to ask Mako instead of his wife. "At least she's not centuries away this time."

He couldn't help but feel his memory pulling him from reality and whisking him back into his mind where he and Korra were struggling to keep in touch. She'd returned to the South Pole after the tournament had been won once more by the Fire Ferrets with the promise that she wouldn't be gone for too long this time. Communication with her was torn to pieces as one of the harshest winters hit; letters were lost, calls couldn't be made. It had taken all of him to continue working when all he wanted was to leave and find her and warm her up.

Korra had surprised him though when he'd come home from working a long call with the Triple Threat Triads involved. He'd wanted nothing more than to fall in his bed and sleep for hours. But she'd been sitting on his couch, bending bits and pieces of water and turning them to ice when they fell into her mouth, crunching them. He'd stood in the doorway and stared at her, shocked, before dropping his equipment and rushing over to her, throwing his arms around her.

They'd gone to Kuang's and eaten fancy instead of silly little Narook's. Still, the Noodlery had a special place in Bolin's heart and he didn't exactly enjoy the food the same way. There had been a loveseat that they'd been led to, and Bolin had wondered if this meant they were together together. He wanted to say they were but his mind liked to play cruel tricks on him. They'd talked about the South Pole and the weather (not in that awkward way, but legitimate concern). She'd talked about how her parents were coming to visit in a couple of days and how she wanted to meet them.

Bolin had blurted, "Are we dating?" before throwing his hand across his mouth. "I mean-"

"Do you want to?"

"Of course I do." He had said. Korra had then kissed him before he could say anything else, tangling her hands with his.

"You'll have to ask permission from my parents first. Mom will like you, but Dad... he's a bit overprotective."

Bolin smiled to himself as the memory of him paling flashed across his mind. It had been some time and both Mako and Asami had taken to watching the little girl. He noticed that they were working together as a team to entertain her, but both of them still looked sad. He had to ask his brother what was going on, but now was not the time. "I think I should get her home before her n-a-p."

Mako opened his mouth to say something before shutting it and smiling. "Be careful Bo. Have fun Anji, come visit soon!"

When he returned home, he noticed Naga was asleep outside. He smiled slightly, comforted by the fact that his lovely wife was home. He carried the sleeping girl into the house and opened the door quietly, finding Korra listening to the radio. "Something happen?" He questioned, setting their daughter onto her bed before returning to the living room.

Korra's eyes opened and she turned the radio off with a touch of a button. Bolin frowned and walked over to her. "Where were you?" She asked, crossing her arms.

His brow rose. "At Mako's? Anji wanted to go visit and see her uncle-"

Korra stood and put her arms on his shoulders, silencing him as her finger touched his lips. Bolin felt nerves building up in his stomach. "Bo," She started, throwing her arms around his throat. Subconsciously, Bolin wrapped his arms around her and squeezed gently. Something was wrong. Something nobody wanted to tell him about. "Bo, Asami had a miscarriage. I wanted to tell you this morning but-"

"But you had the council meeting." He finished, shocked at the news. That's why she had looked so upset. That's why both of them had been quiet. "W-when?"

"Two weeks ago, they found out they were going to be parents. Asami was two months along, but... but something happened and they lost the baby." She pulled away from his shoulder and held his face in her hands. Fear filled her eyes, fear he quickly recognized. What if something like that had happened to Anji? Or worse, happened in the future? He reached up and put his hand over hers resting on his face. "Bo," She breathed, her words shaky.

"Hey, it's okay." He whispered, pulling her back against his chest. She'd only been this emotional once before, and that was when Anji was continuously crying. "It'll be okay."

"I was so scared." She whispered, letting the tears come.

Bolin squeezed her again gently. He wouldn't let that happen to her. Not now, not ever.


End file.
